Of Rubble and Ruins
by Sam-Chan and Jason-Kun
Summary: In this world... This world, that has changed. Most say for the better, though only a few know the truth; the truth they have been hiding all these eons. This isn't real, they aren't real. It's all an illusion, a perfect lie that was made to fool us all. But, there are many; they are strong, they know the truth, they know how to identify the liars. Those, th(rest of sum inside)
1. Chapter 1

_**Sam-Chan: I was reading some creepypastas, and was struck by this idea.. Sí, this is another multi-chapter fanfic, but I'll get another chapter for this, OK. So don't worry y'all!**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia, or the creepypastas I read.**_

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_Prologue:_

_In this world... This world, that has changed. Most say for the better, though only a few know the truth; the truth _**they **_have been hiding all these eons. This isn't real, _**they **_aren't real. It's all an illusion, a perfect lie that was made to fool us all. But, there are many; they are strong, they know the truth, they know how to identify the liars. Those, they struggle in one thing... to survive... So be careful where you stand, or you might be shaking hands with the bane of all existence._

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Guanettríco is a city with two sides.

One is called Tríco, meaning Prospering House. While the other is called Guanet, meaning Abandon Soul. In Tríco, everything is beatiful. The colors, the lights. Everything is rich, including the people. In Guanet, it's opposite. It's a dull gray almost everyday, though an invisible sun still lingers. The people who live there are few, since even the old, sick and poor wouldn't dream of stepping foot there.

For Ivan Braginski, he wouldn't dream of being anywhere else.

Since, he _knows_.

He found out a while ago, in his second year of high school. Something was odd about the people, something was odd about the town. Something was wrong.

He had just arrived to his home where his mother, father and two sisters were waitng for him. They seemed completely normal, acting the same way he would expect them to act. Doing the same things he would expect them to do... He didn't know the exact time he found out, but somehow he figured out something was terribly wrong. That evening, he packed all the things he would need in his backpack to leave. Things like his: books, cell phone, money and some clothes. He also took his pocket knife and the scarf his older sister had made for him years ago. As his family began to wash up for dinner, he made a simple excuse, saying he was going to spend the night at a friend's house. Of course, this worked, and tell told him to be back in the morning. He ran down the stairs, and before he left, took all the kitchen knifes and carefully put them in his backpack. After he made it outside the house, he casually walked out the neighborhood, knowing he was being watched at all angles. When he made it to the main room, he pretended to be going somewhere until it became dark. That's when he starting running. He didn't stop and now he didn't care who saw him, since they couldn't who he was. He kept running till he couldn't run any longer, finding himself by an dull, old set of bulidings, that contrasted with the new and beautiful ones of Tríco. Surveying the bulidings, he finally settle with hiding in one of the smallest, most dull and old looking of the bulidings. After trying to pick the lock for almost a minute, he finally got the door to open. He locked it behind him, just in case anyone was following, and began to explore.

"Shit..." he muttered. He had forgotten to bring a flashlight, though some parts of the buliding were lit up by the moonlight. Looking through his bag, he found two packs of matches, which he was grateful his parents hadn't found. Striking one of the matches, he was able to get a quick glimpse of the old buliding, that proved to be useful. Fifteen used later matches later, he located a box full of scented candles, and tried his best to stuff as many in his backpack as he could. With a candle to light up his path way, he saw that the buliding had a series of floors, all containing apartment complexes. Waves of paranoia hit him, saying it wouldn't be safe on any of the top floors, and so he decended lower and lower, until he reached basement level, where most of all the doors were made from a strong steel. And lots of the suplies were stored. He picked a room on the left of a long hallway. He picked the lock and found himself in a prison cell looking room. With no windows whatsoever. For him, it was better that way. It would be hard for anyone to find him. He put his things down and laid on the cheap-looking bed, that felt the way it looked. He couldn't help but feel wide open, that something could get him any moment. He couldn't shake the feeling away, and his thoughts only made everything worst.

_What if they find out? What will you do? Where will you go? They might find you! What will happen if they find you? If they get you! You're doomed! You're doomed! They're going to find you! They're going to take you away!_

"Shut...shut up!" he said aloud to his thoughts. They didn't stop, but they did become quieter. The teenage boy could only sigh. He was worried, but at the same time he knew this was the right thing to do. There was no time for questioning, right? No time for missing people who aren't real, right? No time for missing a lie, right? No time for thinking about his 'family'...right?

He...he had made the right choice. H-he couldn't have stayed there. T-this was his new home. He had to live with his decision. There was no turning back...right?

Ivan fell into a restless sleep, the only real sleep he would have for days, and weeks and months, and eventually, years.

Ivan Braginski woke up from his 'rest' of three whole minutes. He got up a took out his pipe —something he had picked up in his many months of being in this tiny apartment. He surveyed the room, alert to any noise he heard. When he could find nothing, he silently made it to the bathroom, where he looked in the damaged, partly cracked, cheap mirror, which informed him that his hair was now neck length. He inwardly shruged it off, and began brushing his teeth with a toothbrush he made himself. After spitting out gunks of multiple things into the sink, he heard a noise.

_"Ivan! It's us! Please let us in! Ivan!"_

He shook his head and the noise stopped. It wasn't them, they weren't themselves, it was just a figure of his imagination. They couldn't have found him. It wasn't possible.

_"Ivan! It's been so long! Please let us in!"_

"No! Stop! Go away! Go away! Leave me alone! Get out of my head!" he screamed.

They **couldn't **be here. It **wasn't** possible.

The voices continued, stating precious memories of Ivan's past and asking to come in. The almost eighteen year old was reduced to getting on his kness and covering his ears, trying to shut out the voices. He stayed like that for almost fifteen minutes. When the voices finally stopped, he sat down on the bathroom floor, clutching his legs close to his chest, burying himself in his scarf, the only thing he had left of his real family. He felt tears bubbling up in his chest, but he couldn't cry. It would only hurt him futher, giving the voices another plan to use against him. He in the bathroom for most of the day, rocking back and forth, telling himself everything was going to be okay, when he heard a voice.

"Hello! Help! Someone! Please! _They're_ after me! _They_ took my friends! Help! Someone! _They're _coming to get me! Someone...please help me.." was what the voice said. At first Ivan thought it was fake, but when he heard pounding on the door, he knew something was out there. For the first few minutes, a war was going on in Ivan's mind, debating whether or not he should open the door.

_It could be them, disguising themselves in the form of someone they had taken. _One part of his mind thought.

_Or it could be another like him, running from the same enemy._ Thought the other part.

Whatever they thought, it was Ivan's choice. A choice he couldn't regret. He made his way out the bathroom, walked towards the door leading to the outside, and opened it...

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_**Sam-Chan: Cliffhanger! So, what did you guys think? Don't worry everyone! I'll try to update soon! TRY being the key word XD But, yeah, I'll definitely try hard. Until then, hasta luego todos!**_

_**Note: The city name is fictional, and is not a word in any language as far as a know of..**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Sam-Chan: Hazzah! Welcome to the second chapter! Enjoy your stay~!**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia, it's okay, I think...? X3**_

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This was it...

At least, that was what Ivan told himself as he opened the door, instantly regretting what he had done.

Ivan stood by the door, his eyes closed, waiting for death to overtake him, but...

Death never came.

Instead, a small cough caught his attention, making his mind scream with the fact that he could get away, he could still run or destroy whatever was in front of his door. Though, when he opened his eyes, everything was different and hard to take in.

There was a boy, about sixteen, standing in front of his door. The boy had acid green eyes and a type of dirty-blonde hair. He also had strangely large eyebrows. They stood there, staring at each other for a while, until Ivan, —who was very shocked at the moment— shut the door on the boy, breathing frantically at what had just taken place. He was taken out of his shock daze by a small knock on the door. Scared and not able to think properly, Ivan opened the door, still expecting death to come and take him away, but like the first time, death decided not to come. The boy, was still there, however. Neither spoke a word, but their facial expressions were able to speak for them. Ivan stepped for in front of the door, letting the boy enter, and afterwards, shuting and locking the door behind them. Both seemed so accustom to the lack of noise that the two almost jumped when they heard the small dripping noise coming from Ivan's bathroom. Ivan, as much as he wanted to speak, then run and hide, he sat very still on the cold floor, staring at the other boy as he waited for a explanation.

"I-i-i, don't know what to tell you. Other than, my family and friends aren't real, at least, that's how it seems. They did everything I would expect them to do, but everything seemed off. I ignored it for the first few weeks, but by each pasting day, my suspicions grew higher and higher, and were finally broken by what happened yesterday. I-i, had been at school and I noticed how grim some of my friends were, especially my two closest ones, who's names were Alfred F. Jones and Francis Bonnefoy. When we had parted for our seperate classes, I followed them, and found them going into the teacher's lounge with Ms Lili, who had a rather strange look on her face —a sadistic one, if you're wondering. When they entered the room, the door was shut locked behind them, but I still heard and remember the exact words they said.

"You two have got to step it up!" Lili screamed at the boys.

"We're trying, but..." Alfred drifted off, giving Lili the opportunity to scream again.

"You're _trying_? You're trying! There are no 'buts' when you're under _their _authority, Alfred!"

"I-i-i..." Alfred tried to say, though, the words wouldn't come out.

"No, there are no buts. Either way, Arthur really is our friend, and we'll stick by him, no matter what." Francis said, speaking for the first time since they had entered the room.

"Defiance, eh? Let's see how defiant you two are when _they_ come to get you, and **replace you**!" Lili shouted, cackling afterwards.

Everything else that was heard was maniac laughter and screams of my friends. It became more strange when my parents said my best friends were moving. I pretended for them, —with shock and sadness, as one would think— but as soon as I got to my room, I began to pack my things to leave. It wasn't easy to make an excuse, since I couldn't go visit my best friends —wherever they were and are— so, I waited until night fall. I grabbed my belongings, broke the window in the front of the house, jumped out and went on my way, avoiding every person I saw." the teenage boy finished, a little drained from explaining. Ivan, on the other hand, was amazed and perplexed about what had happened. It was by chance that the boy had come here, and it was by chance, that the boy was like him. In the world, but just finding out the truth, as if all those years you lived didn't count. Ivan's suspicions were still there, but they reduced to a small fragement. Before he could say anything, Ivan had to think. Think about what he was going to say and why he was going to say it, since doing anything rash is as good as dying.

"Y-you can stay." Ivan stated quickly.

"Huh?" the teenage boy questioned, for he wasn't able to understand Ivan.

"You can stay here, with me, if you'd like." Ivan said slowly, hoping he wasn't falling into the enemies' trap.

"Really?" the boy asked, to which Ivan nodded. The boy gave him a small smile, —though it was layered with a hint of fear. Silence overtook the room, until the boy decided to make coversation.

"What's your name?"

"What?"

"I said, 'what's your name?' like, my name is Arthur Kirkland, what's yours?" the boy asked, adding more detail to his statement.

"Ivan Braginski." Ivan answered. He felt like he was laid out bare in front of the stranger, though he had only told him his name. His mind was mocking him of the memory of a time that he'd freely give out his name, smiling and laughing happily like others, unconcerned and unconcious of the lies and danger around him. Now that he was, he almost wished he had never found out the truth.

Almost.

"How old are you?" Arthur asked, bringing Ivan's thinking to an end. Ivan looked at the acid-green eyed male with suspicion and distrust, earning himself a confused look from the other male.

"Okay, I see how this will go. How about, I tell you about me first, then you tell me about you. Though it won't be anything _too personal_, alright?" Arthur tried to reasure, in a calm voice. Ivan nodded, the suspicion and distrust slightly leaving him.

"I'm sixteen, but I'll be turning seventeen in a few," Arthur stated, with his eyes, gesturing Ivan to _take his turn_. Ivan sighed but proceeded to 'spill the information'.

"I'm seventeen, but I'll be e-eighteen this year. I know because I've been keeping track of how long it's been since I..." Ivan drifted off, leaving Arthur 'on the edge of his seat'.

"You what?" Arthur asked out of pure curiousity, but then guessed what the taller male meant and added "Since you left Tríco, right?"

Let's just say, Ivan was inwardly panicking at the younger male's very words.

_H-how? And why d-did he make that so easy to figure out? Why was he such an idiot, giving out all that information without a care in the world. He had too remember that the world wasn't the same as it had been.._

_At least, not in his eyes._

"Ivan? Are you okay?" Arthur questioned, taking Ivan out his paranoid-based thoughts.

"Да," Ivan replied without a second thought.

"You speak Russian?" Arthur asked, to which Ivan nodded.

"I can teach you," Ivan stated. "I mean, if you'd like" he added, not wanting to force the other male to do something he didn't want.

"I'd like that," was Arthur answer. He then made an excuse to start the lessons right away, desperate to learn more about this 'Ivan Braginski', and maybe even...

Become friends.

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_**Sam-Chan: Heck yeah! Chapter two is finished! But, I make no promises on a fast update, so try to bare with me! XD**_

_**Translations:**_

_**Russian: **_

_**Да**__** (Yes) **_


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